Bilal

 

Bilal

My name is Bilal (he/him). I was a senior in high school when I wrote my first book with Shout Mouse Press.  I am currently a senior at the University of Maryland and am figuring out what's next. I'm excited to just take the world on, one day at a time – whether it be finding employment, learning something new, or working on another project with Shout Mouse, I'm here for it!

I felt really empowered being able to write my own story into this book. With practically no restrictions, no limits on what I could talk about, what about me is important. Just a blank canvas to tell people, ‘Hey world, I’m here and this is my story. This is what matters to me.’
— Bilal about I Am The Night Sky
I hope that, when reading this book, people take away the fact that life stops for nothing. Sometimes, life just happens and you can either let it get to you, or adapt and work through it. Despite all the nastiness and turmoil that the past couple of years had to offer, we’re still getting through it, one day at a time. Be proud of yourself!
— Bilal about What It Cost Us

BOOKS BY BILAL

I Am the Night Sky

by the teen artists and writers of Next Wave Muslim Initiative

With a foreword by award-winning author Hena Khan

During an era characterized by both hijabi fashion models and enduring post-9/11 stereotypes, ten Muslim American teenagers came together to explore what it means to be young and Muslim in America today. These teens represent the tremendous diversity within the American Muslim community, and their book, like them, contains multitudes. Bilal writes about being a Muslim rocker. Noor reflects about speaking in multiple tongues. Samaa creates her own cartoon Kabob Squad. Ayah responds to online hate. Through poems, essays, artwork, and stories, these young people aim to show their true selves, to build connection, and to create more inclusive and welcoming communities for all.

  • ISBN: 978-1945434938

  • Age: 12+

  • Lexile: 830L

  • Page Count: 192

  • Published: 2019

What It Cost Us: Stories of Pandemic & Protest in DC
  • “Poignant and powerful . . . the students write with fresh power about loss, about the failures of the system around them, and how to decide when, how and where they should speak out.” —Publishers Weekly

  • “Our young people are asking that we sit with them, that we listen to them, and that we see their lives in all of their complexity. The stories in What It Cost Us must be read. They must be remembered." —Clint Smith, author of How the Word is Passed: Reckoning with the History of Slavery Across America

  • “Authentic and sincere.” —Kirkus Reviews

  • “A momentous account of a time we must remember.” —Wendy Wan-Long Shang, author of The Secret Battle of Evan Pao

Foreword by Candice Iloh

In this collaborative novel, ten diverse young writers from Washington, DC recreate the historic year 2020 from their perspectives, through fictional stories inspired by their own lived experiences. Told chronologically from the onset of the pandemic to the insurrection of January 6th, their stories of change and resilience are accompanied by maps, social media, original artwork, and real-life headlines to create an immersive experience of an unprecedented coming of age. 

You’ll meet Faiza, a Muslim high school student, who struggles to celebrate Ramadan during the worst of the COVID-19 shutdowns. You’ll protest with Roman, the only Black student in his class, whose relationships are challenged in the wake of the murder of George Floyd. You’ll face the fraught 2020 election with Dennis, a young Nigerian immigrant, as he questions a democracy that seems to count him out. 

By examining the shards of this shattered year, these authors explore “what it cost us” through stories that both acknowledge loss and celebrate what got us through.

  • ISBN: 978-1-950807-55-0

  • Age: 12+

  • Lexile: 780L

  • Page Count: 329

  • Published: Spring 2023

RECOGNITION